The present invention relates to wall-mounted electrical resistance space heaters equipped with fans, and particularly to an easily installed container for use in mounting such a space heater unit, either during construction of a wall or as a retrofit of such a heating unit into an existing wall of frame and plasterboard or similar construction.
Most previously existing electrical resistance heaters have been of the type which extend a small distance into a room along the base of the walls. Such heater units present an appearance which is not particularly attractive. They require a relatively large amount of space, because they depend upon convention to move the air over their surfaces, while they must remain at safe temperatures. Because of thier dependency on convention, the heating provided by such baseboard units is uneven.
In many situations central heating is not desirable. Particularly where the climate is mild, the installation of central heating equipment is often too expensive to be justifiable. Where there are many rooms which are used only infrequently, central heating, with a central control, results in heating of unoccupied rooms, wasting energy. In such mild climates smaller heating units controlled by local thermostats are able to provide the required amount of heat for each particular space without wasting heat by warming spaces which do not need the heat. Fans have been developed which are capable of moving air efficiently, dependably, and quietly enough to be marketably useable with efficient electrical resistance heating elements which develop temperatures on their heat-exchanging surfaces which are undesirably high for use in an exposed base-board heating location extending into a room. Such heating units are particularly well adapted for mounting within a wall, particularly well adapted for mounting within a wall, particularly an interior wall of a building, to provide a controllable amount of heat for the room into which such a unit faces.
Installation of such small, efficient, forced circulation heating units requires, for the sake of safety, that the units be spaced at least a certain minimum distance above a floor, in order to avoid fire danger. In many cases it may be desirable to mount heating units at a height significantly greater than the minimum required for safety. In either case, the heating unit must be adequately supported to prevent noisy vibration and to assure that the space heater will not easily be dislodged. Such a space heater should be capable of being installed easily within an already-existing wall, as well as being installed during construction of a wall. Additionally, retrofit into an already-existing wall should be possible without having to repair wall coverings as a result of the installation.
Additionally, the outer surfaces of a housing must not become too hot for safety as a result of absorbing heat from the space heater enclosed in it. This has been a problem in previous housings having a generally rectangular box-like shape.
Housings previously available for such heaters have been undesirably expensive, have required measurements to assure sufficient installation height, and have required installation of shims and spacers to locate the housings properly.
What is needed, then, is a suitable housing for such a unit which will facilitate safe installation, either at a minimum height in a wall or at higher locations, which will result in an attractive appearance of the installed heating unit, which may be retrofitted into existing walls, which results in efficient heating of room air without overheating of the housing, and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.